Victory Saddlebag Parts Pricing... or, I Need Three Other Sunset Red People
If you already know how expensive the XC/XCT saddlebags parts are, save yourself some time and move on to the next thread.
I damaged the right saddlebag lid when my XCT was about a month old. I tipped over the saddlebag when it was off the bike, in the garage, which chipped the paint completely off in an area maybe 3" x 1".
First Attempt: Honda East
After making things not much better with some official Victory touch-up paint, I decided I'd go up to a couple hundred dollars if I could buy a new lid. (I may yet go to a body shop. And yes, I know, I could just suck it up, but this is a new bike, and this area is way bigger than the stone pings you get in the front.)
So, I surfed to Honda East ( http://www.hondaeasttoledo.com/default.asp?page=partsfinder ), widely touted for service and price, both here and on other forums. My right-side, sunset red, lid is shown with a list price of $300.86 and their selling price of $225.65. (Honda East seems to take 25% off list prices.) So I ordered it; this was about a month ago.
Despite my email "order confirmation" from them, I got another email a day or two later telling me that their third-party parts fiche supplier erred, and they would sell me the lid for "$415.61 with free shipping" (presumably - the free shipping - as a gesture of good will). I declined.
Second Attempt: PowersEdge
Next, I tried PowersEdge.com ( http://www.powersedge.com/pages/oemparts?aribrand=VIC ). This place also has prices less than MSRP, and in the case of the lid claimed to sell it for $243.70. So I ordered the lid from PowersEdge.
A day or two later, I got an email from them: "I regret to inform you that the part on your order cannot be sold at the price previously listed on our website. Between the mismarked part and shipping cost error you would have to pay an additional $120.00." That brings it up to a discounted price of about $364.
Third Attempt: Honda East (Again)
I gave Honda East a couple of weeks to change the parts fiche pricing, but nothing happened. So I phoned the parts guy there, and discussed the situation. He seemed as befuddled as before regarding Victory's list price on a lid.
Fourth Attempt: Victory
I emailed a person at corporate Vic, whom I had met at the NYC cycle show. I explained the confusion, and asked him to forward my email, if he would, to someone in corporate parts. He did, and the next day someone from corporate parts telephoned me.
The corporate Vic guy explained to me that parts are expensive to make and to store, and how if you add up individual parts prices they will by far outstrip the price of a completed vehicle. He also confirmed that my sunset red saddlebag lid has an MSRP of $499, while the bin (what Victory calls the bottom, or main part, of the saddlebag) has a an MSRP of $467.
Does This Seem Weird to You? Let Me Count the Ways:
1) The top of the saddlebag seems to have less plastic, less paint, and is less intracate in construction than the bottom. Why is it priced higher?
2) I spent about two minutes doing a search, and learned that at Ronnie's ( http://www.ronniesmailorder.com/ ), for instance, the saddlebag lid for a 2012 Electra Glide Ultra Limited, in "ember red sunglo & merlot," lists for $240.00 (and sells for less). The lid for a 2010 Gold Wing, "pearl hot rod yellow," lists for $366 (and sells for less).
So, a new lid for a 2012 V-twin from the other American motorcycle company has an MSRP about half that of a lid for the X-series hard bags.
3) Here, then, are the list prices of the major parts (one each) for an X-series saddlebag:
- Bottom: $467
- Top: $499
- Hinge: $132
- Lock bezel: $33
- Lock itself: I couldn't find out ("call us" or a blank field)
That's a total list - for one saddlebag - of at least $1,131.
Now, if you like, click this (I'll wait here): http://www.purepolaris.com/en-us/Vi...PGACatalog)&prevfitment=inmeta:Family~Baggers .
For those of you who didn't bother, that's one of Victory "Accessories & Apparel" official pages. That particular page tells you that a PAIR of SUNSET RED HARD SADDLEBAGS can be yours for $999.99.
So, let's say you drop your bike, or do a low-side, or something along those lines, and you damage the top, middle (i.e., hinge), and bottom of the saddlebag on one side. Your insurance adjuster, if he's paying attention, will say, "Go get yourself a pair of new saddlebags, because it's cheaper than replacing just that one."
Too Rich for My Blood:
Okay, so Victory exceeded my price point. I've certainly wasted more money than $300 or $400 (stupid is as stupid does), but I don't like this particular situation. What I'd prefer is to find three other people, one of whom has a damaged sunset red saddlbag right bottom, one with a damaged left top, and one with a damaged left bottom. We could then all go in on a pair of new saddlebags for $1,000, i.e., $250 for each of the four parts. And then we could sell the two hinges and locks on eBay.
Well, that's my story. In the meantime, if I meet any of you at Americade or someplace, I'd appreciate it if no one pointed out my touch-up cob-job. And if you're smart(er), be really careful with your saddlebags, everyone.
If you already know how expensive the XC/XCT saddlebags parts are, save yourself some time and move on to the next thread.
I damaged the right saddlebag lid when my XCT was about a month old. I tipped over the saddlebag when it was off the bike, in the garage, which chipped the paint completely off in an area maybe 3" x 1".
First Attempt: Honda East
After making things not much better with some official Victory touch-up paint, I decided I'd go up to a couple hundred dollars if I could buy a new lid. (I may yet go to a body shop. And yes, I know, I could just suck it up, but this is a new bike, and this area is way bigger than the stone pings you get in the front.)
So, I surfed to Honda East ( http://www.hondaeasttoledo.com/default.asp?page=partsfinder ), widely touted for service and price, both here and on other forums. My right-side, sunset red, lid is shown with a list price of $300.86 and their selling price of $225.65. (Honda East seems to take 25% off list prices.) So I ordered it; this was about a month ago.
Despite my email "order confirmation" from them, I got another email a day or two later telling me that their third-party parts fiche supplier erred, and they would sell me the lid for "$415.61 with free shipping" (presumably - the free shipping - as a gesture of good will). I declined.
Second Attempt: PowersEdge
Next, I tried PowersEdge.com ( http://www.powersedge.com/pages/oemparts?aribrand=VIC ). This place also has prices less than MSRP, and in the case of the lid claimed to sell it for $243.70. So I ordered the lid from PowersEdge.
A day or two later, I got an email from them: "I regret to inform you that the part on your order cannot be sold at the price previously listed on our website. Between the mismarked part and shipping cost error you would have to pay an additional $120.00." That brings it up to a discounted price of about $364.
Third Attempt: Honda East (Again)
I gave Honda East a couple of weeks to change the parts fiche pricing, but nothing happened. So I phoned the parts guy there, and discussed the situation. He seemed as befuddled as before regarding Victory's list price on a lid.
Fourth Attempt: Victory
I emailed a person at corporate Vic, whom I had met at the NYC cycle show. I explained the confusion, and asked him to forward my email, if he would, to someone in corporate parts. He did, and the next day someone from corporate parts telephoned me.
The corporate Vic guy explained to me that parts are expensive to make and to store, and how if you add up individual parts prices they will by far outstrip the price of a completed vehicle. He also confirmed that my sunset red saddlebag lid has an MSRP of $499, while the bin (what Victory calls the bottom, or main part, of the saddlebag) has a an MSRP of $467.
Does This Seem Weird to You? Let Me Count the Ways:
1) The top of the saddlebag seems to have less plastic, less paint, and is less intracate in construction than the bottom. Why is it priced higher?
2) I spent about two minutes doing a search, and learned that at Ronnie's ( http://www.ronniesmailorder.com/ ), for instance, the saddlebag lid for a 2012 Electra Glide Ultra Limited, in "ember red sunglo & merlot," lists for $240.00 (and sells for less). The lid for a 2010 Gold Wing, "pearl hot rod yellow," lists for $366 (and sells for less).
So, a new lid for a 2012 V-twin from the other American motorcycle company has an MSRP about half that of a lid for the X-series hard bags.
3) Here, then, are the list prices of the major parts (one each) for an X-series saddlebag:
- Bottom: $467
- Top: $499
- Hinge: $132
- Lock bezel: $33
- Lock itself: I couldn't find out ("call us" or a blank field)
That's a total list - for one saddlebag - of at least $1,131.
Now, if you like, click this (I'll wait here): http://www.purepolaris.com/en-us/Vi...PGACatalog)&prevfitment=inmeta:Family~Baggers .
For those of you who didn't bother, that's one of Victory "Accessories & Apparel" official pages. That particular page tells you that a PAIR of SUNSET RED HARD SADDLEBAGS can be yours for $999.99.
So, let's say you drop your bike, or do a low-side, or something along those lines, and you damage the top, middle (i.e., hinge), and bottom of the saddlebag on one side. Your insurance adjuster, if he's paying attention, will say, "Go get yourself a pair of new saddlebags, because it's cheaper than replacing just that one."
Too Rich for My Blood:
Okay, so Victory exceeded my price point. I've certainly wasted more money than $300 or $400 (stupid is as stupid does), but I don't like this particular situation. What I'd prefer is to find three other people, one of whom has a damaged sunset red saddlbag right bottom, one with a damaged left top, and one with a damaged left bottom. We could then all go in on a pair of new saddlebags for $1,000, i.e., $250 for each of the four parts. And then we could sell the two hinges and locks on eBay.
Well, that's my story. In the meantime, if I meet any of you at Americade or someplace, I'd appreciate it if no one pointed out my touch-up cob-job. And if you're smart(er), be really careful with your saddlebags, everyone.